Notes / Commercial Description:
Exit 1 is beer brewed with oysters. The creamy flavor of English chocolate and roasted malts harmonizes with minerals from oyster shells. Irish ale yeast adds a bit of fruitiness and a dry crispness. The rich stout is perfect for cool weather-and especially delicious when paired with a few Jersey oysters on the half shell.

This beer poured out as a heavy thick looking black color with a nice slow rising brown colored head on top. The smell of the beer was pretty good, lots of roasted malt aromas and some chocolate in there too. The taste of the beer is pretty good, lots of roasted chocolate flavors and just a very slight spice note in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel was smooth, thick and creamy. Overall this beer didn't smell or taste anything like Oysters thankfully. I found this brew to be really quite nice.

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a thin tan ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of dark malts and chocolate are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional notes of lactose and hints of brine from the oysters.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and quite airy on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very light and easy to drink but has a good amount of flavors.

Appearance: Pours a midnight brown color with a foamy tan head that leaves dots and dashes of lace around the glass

Smell: Burnt toast, with a peaty/smokey character; hints of chocolate and brine

Taste: The roasty, burnt toast flavor comes through, up front, but the flavor quickly adds a fruity/hoppy/briny dimension that carries through, mid-palate, with peaty tones underneath; after the swallow, some chocolate elements peak through, but the finish is dry and briny

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; somewhat creamy

Drinkability: Relatively light compared to other big stouts, and that adds to the drinkability; very nice, with subtle differences; like other Flying Fish brews, they may not be the biggest, but they are very drinkable

Acquired from bonkers courtesy of the Quick & Easy High Card BIF, so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 750ml bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a thin brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains coffee, roasted malts, some dark fruit and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of toasted coffee beans, dark fruit and some milk chocolate. There’s a hearty roasted malt character and is seems as though the oysters provide some creaminess to the beer. The hops presence is very mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

"I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead. Not sick. Not wounded. Dead."

--Woody Allen

Jet black with no highlights whatsoever, despite bright March sunshine outside my front window. Even the crown is two fingers' worth of dark caramel brown. It sinks incredibly slowly and does a fine job decorating the upper reaches of the glass.

According to no less an authority than Michael Jackson, the original oyster stouts did not contain oysters, but were so named because they accompanied that dish extremely well. Some old recipes used oyster shells as finings since their alkalinity counteracted sourness. It seems that using oysters during brewing is a relatively new phenomenon.

Does Bayshore Oyster Stout smell like oysters? No, it doesn't. It smells like a chocolate and roasted malty export stout with black licorice notes. It was less than pungent immediately after the pour and is opening up a little as it warms.

Oddly enough, the flavor is somewhat muted as well. An intensity knob on the side of the bottle would be great right about now. There's a different sort of flavor (sourish, slightly briny) underlying the the usual stout flavor profile, but it's on the mild side. It's hard to imagine an aggressive oyster-flavored stout being much of a success.

Despite being less medium-full than most foreign/export stouts of this ABV, the mouthfeel earns a good score because it's lightly creamy, is as smooth as summer-weight silk, and is expertly bubbled.

Exit 1 (the third in the series) is more interesting than good. Maybe Flying Fish felt that a darker, bolder, richer maltiness would have crowded out the oyster flavor. It might have, and would have required a name change, but it would have made for better beer in the end. Thanks to jwc215 for the bottle.

I was really unsure about this one when I opened it. The name scared me a bit, but last night decided to take the plunge with company. Served chilled and poured and poured into a snifter, this one was consumed on 12/23/2009.

Very dark pour, black with a large tan heading creeping up the sides of the glass. Nice touches of lacing ringing the inside of the glass and coming to head with deep spider web like lacing throughout. Aroma was interesting and not at all what I expected. Very smoked with lots of hints of peat and roasted malts. A touch of something different and my brain wants to say it was sort of fishy, but again the expectations going in could be clouding that. Light touches of chocolate start to mix in as it warms as well. Nice body here, with a good level of carbonation throughout. Rich notes of roasted and smoked malts coming through from the very first sip with a touch of something else bouncing around in there as well. This other taste is not bad at all, it's just different and gives it a bit of a kick. Nice dry finish and smooth, even flavor kept it coming throughout the rest of the session.

Overall very solid and really quite nicely done. I have to admit name alone scared me off, but there was no reason for it. This was just a nicely done stout all the way around.

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color as well as being thick like oil and having minimal amounts of visible carbonation along with some light hints of cola brown highlights. The beer has a minimal amount of dark tan head that reduces to a very thin ring at the edges of the glass. No amounts of lacing are observed.

S: There are moderate to strong aromas of dark roasted malts, burnt malts, and some lighter hints of anise + oyster brininess.

T: Upfront there are just shy of strong flavors of burnt and very darkly roasted malts. Underneath the roasty flavors of the malts there is a very light hint of anise/licorice and a salty/brininess from the oysters.

M: Full bodied with light amounts of carbonation. Slightly creamy.

O: Another really enjoyable beer from the Exit Series, I thought this was a really easy to drink oyster stout. I loved the brininess combined with burnt and heavily roasted malt flavors.

T - The flavor has lots of roasted and black malt influence w/ mild mineral yeast flavor and gentle piney hop taste. There is mild roasted and bitter flavor like coffee w/ malt which has a moderate level of astringency w/ acrid effect on the palate. The stout has a charred edge which fits the style w/ light woody flavor

D - A decent stout w/ pretty high drinkability, however it is slightly dry for my taste and bitter finish for the style, but I would not hesitate to return to this if given the chance.
Re-Review
I tried this from the 12oz in a stout glass.
The color is black with medium tan head with very fine bead and lace sticks well with retention that is very good. The smell is very go with slight mineral and roast up front which combine with a cocoa like malt aroma with subtle earthy and toasted dark malt notes. The feel is dry as expected up front with medium high carbonation balanced by a sweetness mid palate with very roasty and dry mineral finish.

The taste is rich with malt that has dark roasted and dark chocolate bitterness with an almost burnt marshmallow with a mild sweet note and light mineral oyster saline yet almost oily dry taste. There is an earthy slightly woody aspect perhaps hops in the finish. overall I think this is excellent with drinkability that is high with hardly any alcohol taste and dry refreshing and highly roasted flavors which I like.

Big thanks to stevglad and the the Support Your Team! BIF for this bottle!

I wanna know who first thought up the idea of using oysters in beer. Just seems odd to me. Oh well. This guy pours an oily black topped by a finger of burnt sienna foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, vanilla, chocolate, mint, and molasses. The taste is very similar, with some brown sugar, coffee, figs, and blackened pretzels (you know, the bottom of the pretzel...it's the char, the dough, and the salt altogether here) thrown in to make things more interesting. The body is a fairly hefty medium, with a light carbonation and a fairly smooth, rather dry finish. Overall, a nice oyster stout, but I'm not sure I'm fully used to the style yet.

Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Portsmouth tulip. Poured black in color with a dense mocha colored head filling the top inch of the glass. The head retreated to the sides of the glass where it left some very nice spider web lacing.

The aroma shows some roasty, chocolate, burnt, stout flavors to it. It also has something else though, almost a salty or mineral like aroma coming through. I'm guessing it's from the oysters. Interesting aroma.

The taste has a lot of roasty, bitter, burnt flavors coming through, especially in the finish. Bittersweet chocolate plays a pretty big role in the taste as well. Pretty nice stout flavor to it. It finishes with more of a sweet milky chocolate flavor to it. As much as I'd like to think I taste the oyster presence or at least some effect of the oysters, I just can't put my finger on anything specific in the taste.

The mouthfeel is a little thicker then average with moderate to low carbonation. Drinkability is good, it had some very nice stout flavors. Like the other oyster stout I've had, the oysters really don't give much flavor to the beer. They did seem to give it a little something in the aroma though. The beer really is all about the stout flavors, which thankfully are pretty good. I liked the roasty and bitter chocolate flavors it had a lot though.

This was handed to me with a finger of deep-brown head interlaced with black and shifting around like Rorschach's mask. It eventually settled into a slick of brown foam on top of an inky black beer. Its color was midnight black with ZERO light penetration. The nose had notes of coffee, chocolate, mocha, and even a bit of charcoal. Mouthfeel wavered between medium and full with the coffee and charcoal up front followed by a more mellow mocha sweetness and a dark chocolate finish. Owner Gene Muller stated that they had never before made a stout and I hope that they do not stop now, by golly! It was a phenomenal entry in the series, even if I have missed a couple of Exits in my journey.

750ml bottle I purchased some time ago and sort of forgot about. Poured into a standard pint, the brew appears black with a dark brown 2 finger froth that slowly fades leaving a thin silky topping. Spots of stringy lace stick to the glass.

The aroma is like baker's cocoa coupled with raisony alcohol, coffee and more of a milky sweet chocolate note. A hint of minerals is present through the back of the nose mixing with a bit of an earthen aspect. As the brew warms up, a note of soy sauce starts to emerge.

The flavor is roasted with a chocolate combination of the previously mentioned sweet milk chocolate and bakers bitter chocolate character. Middle of the profile has a mineral/earthen aspect that lasts into the aftertaste with a bit of raisony alcohol flavoring. The aftertaste has a bit of soy or saline character.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amoubt of carbonation. It is a fairly decent export stout with the expected mineral/saline character present from the oyster aspect. I think I held on to this brew too long, I am giving it the benefit of the doubt that it was probably a beer best served more fresh than this.

Pours pitch black with a thin light brown head that stays through most of duration before slowly becoming a thick ring. Leaves thin lines of slowly vanishing lacing.

The smell is of brine/sea salt with chocolate, toffee and hint of light roast.

The taste is of sweet chocolate, salt/brine, with medium roasted coffee. Anise and a mild roast balance the overall sweet character and a touch of salt gives it a dryness balancing the sweetness in the finish.

Oysters lend a touch of brine/sea salt and the rich chocolatey maltiness would have this pair well with oysters. Unfortunately, I didn't try it with oysters, but I'm seriously considering getting another bottle to test out my theory that it would work very well. A unique offering that has a solid foreign/export stout character. Grab a bottle if you can!

Oyster stout, continuation of the Exit series of beer. Beer is served in a tulip. Beer is black and forms a nearly non-existent head of small lightly brown bubbles that does not leave lacing on the glass. Looks OK.

Aroma is light and kind of sweet. Some roast as well.

Beer is really good, medium bodied, clean and sweet. Lots of malt up front, a very good stout. I'm liking these foreign export stouts more and more. Good mouthfeel and really high drinkability.

Mmmm, you don't get many oyster stouts. In this case, the seafood character is pretty mild and just adds a pleasant, but curious, meaty character. Otherwise there's a big roasty chocolate taste with toasted bread and crust plus dry cocoa and hard candy caramel. It finishes with a dry, bitter and burnt finish. Despite the strength, this isn't a big heavy beer. It's quite drinkable if you don't feel like sharing a 750ml bottle.

Poured into a chalice a nice black color, nice carbonation, small tan head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some coffee/toffe, slight brine note, and caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, nice touch of coffee/toffee. Medium body. Drinkable, it's better than I thought it would be.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque without even the slightest bit of lighter hues when held to a light source and a frothy dark chocolate neige/brown head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Large chunks of soapy lacing are left behind.

Dark roasted malt aroma with lots of chocolate, burnt toast, biscuit, licorice, and a slight salty presence. The aroma isn't as roasty as I expected but there is still a slight coffee presence along with some nut and subtle saltiness.

Toasty medium body with lots of roasted chocolate malt, burnt toast, licorice, oatmeal and toffee. There's also a good bit of coffee bean that adds to the smokey/roastiness. The body is slightly thin but it's still pretty complex and very drinkable considering how roasty the malt profile is. There is a subtle saltiness(from the oysters) thT is not overpowering but compliments the chocolate and roasted notes very well. Slight lactic creaminess provides nice balance and makes it pretty quaffable. Probably the best beer I've had yet from Flying Fish.

A: Poured a viscose oil black with a dark cinnamon colored head that was 2 fingers high, frothy, and well lasting. The head leveled to a thin film covering while leaving a thin sheet band for a lacing.

S: A fresh roasty malting and a dark semi-sweet chocolate first greets the nose along with a distinct light saltiness. The initial impression was medium-strong and enticing, but failed to stick around long, quickly fading to a soft roastedness leaving you wondering what happen and wanting more. The English chocolate and slight dry oyster saltiness works well here, I only wish I could have been treated to a bigger helping.

T: The flavor had a nice coffee roastedness being first detected along with a dry chocolate touch. The oyster presence is noticeable in terms of a faint saltiness with a dry finishing touch. Dark fruit of spicy plums are also well represented here while there is a light chalkiness that comes through upon the swallow. It is the fresh roasty malting and chocolate that really stands out the most here. I only wish the oysters played a more vital role giving this some edge and a more unique flavor. My only previous experience per style was with Fordham's oyster stout which had a good deal of oyster/saltiness detection and wish flying fish followed suit. They had a chance to go big, but seemed they played it a bit safe here.

M: medium-full, thick and viscose with an oily slick texture. A good deal of carbonation is felt making this cream up nicely upon the hold after a few seconds.

D: Enjoyable drink, refined, smooth, though found myself oddly enough wishing for more of an oyster presence. Felt they may have played it a bit safe here and could of made a statement of definition per style. Many people may be turned off by the notion of an Oyster stout, but fear not, this has very little presence, mostly only in name with the exception of a light saltiness. The roasted and chocolate malting make this a smooth experience and one that should not be missed, however I found this beer to be lacking the wow factor I experience with their first 2 turnpike beers (exit 4 & 11).

A pitch black brew with about an inch of tan foam and not shy with the lacing. A very nice looking brew.

The smell leaves me a bit wanting because of its lightness. Some notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and licorice make they way through but it was hard for me to pick 'em out.

The taste was more assertive, with a nice burnt malt taste and notes of dark chocolate, some licorice, god notes of smoke and a hint of dark fruits. Now, when I say more assertive, I mean relative to the smell. It isn't a bold tasting Stout by any means and at 7%abv, I expected more. Still, no stones cast on the brew implied. Not in a big way...

Nice medium body with very light carbonation, the beer slides down the throat very smoothly. Oh and the foam and lacing headed for the hills early in the session.

Drinkability? It's easy enough to drink. The big bottle will not be a chore to drink and given the opportunity, I'd enjoy it again as it IS tasty enough and there's no sign of the alcohol at all. Again, I just expected more.

Poured into an imperial pint, formed a 1/4" dark brown head above the opaque dark brown/black brew. Head lasts nicely, with coating lace. Aroma is roasty dark sweetness. Taste starts with chocolate, light to moderate bitterness in the middle, creamy close, with a slight salty aftertaste. Mouthfeel is smooth, maybe a little thinner bodied than expected, not in a bad way, and drinkability is easy. Good stuff.

A- Pours a fully opaque black color with a 3/4 inch light brown head that retains well before fading to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a large center patch of surface foam. Resilient lacing leaves a thick solid ring behind.

S- Heavy dark roast aroma with accompanying notes of molasses, chocolate and a bit of booze.

T- The dark roast hits hard and deep but the chocolaty sweetness that's also there provides a good balance. Additional notes of caramel, vanilla and even some light pecan. The briny-ness from the oysters is only noticed in the aftertaste and sort of rounds out the bitter/sweet duality of the rest of the profile. Pretty drinkable for the ABV

M- Dry, very dry actually and there's a slight chalkiness from the roasted malt. Medium carbonation and a full body.

O- This has been a want of mine for a while only because, when the Exit series was first rolled out years ago, I wanted the Exit 1 entry just to add to my bottle collection because I'm from Delaware. Never found it the first time around and they stopped making it for years. When I heard they were bringing it back on the market, and in 6-packs no less, I had to get my hands on it. Found a sixer when I was visiting home and, come to find out, the beer itself is really good too!